Barberis says the best is yet to come
Mobile defenceman playing with increased confidence since pre-season audition for Canucks
Matt Barberis might be playing his best hockey as a member of the Vancouver Giants — at least, that’s what the numbers say.
The third-year defenceman from Surrey has a plus-7 rating, second-best on the team, behind the plus-8 put forth so far by over-age winger Ty Ronning.
Your stories from games, too, say that Barberis might be playing his best in a Giants jersey. You find yourself mentioning him consistently when watching the Vancouver juniors right now, as he’s seemingly always around the puck.
His sprawling save to prevent Josh Curtis of the Prince George Cougars from scoring into an empty net while Giants netminder Todd Scott was on the bench in favour of an extra attacker in the final minute of a 2-1 Prince George win last Friday at the Langley Events Centre will be a candidate for the team’s highlight of the year.
So what does Barberis have to say for himself? He’s pleased with how things have gone so far, but maintains he still has much more to give.
“You haven’t seen the best of me yet. Not close,” said the 19-year-old Barberis, who has two goals and eight assists through 15 games this year. “I want to win more games and contribute to those wins.
“I need to focus on the details, work extra on the ice after practice and take care of my body. All those things add up in the end.”
Barberis was the 20th pick of the 2013 WHL bantam draft, Vancouver’s second first-rounder after No. 1 overall selection Tyler Benson. Barberis was eligible for full-time duty in 2014-15, but didn’t make it in that 16-year-old campaign, which is rare for a first-rounder. Vancouver instead kept 2013 second-rounder Ryely McKinstry as part of its blueline corps, as the club didn’t feel comfortable with two true rookie rearguards.
Barberis stuck for good with the Giants the following season, but injury troubles quickly followed, most notably shoulder problems. He got into just 97 of a possible 144 games over the past two seasons, and was a combined minus-35 over that stretch, while producing 17 goals and 51 points.
The Vancouver Canucks saw enough in the smallish, puck-moving defender to give Barberis a freeagent look with their Young Stars tournament team in Penticton in early September. That experience may have helped to shape what Giants fans are now seeing.
“You’re playing against older guys, stronger guys. You have to go hard on every play and you can’t take any shifts off,” said the 5-foot10, 189-pound Barberis, who was released by the Canucks after the Young Stars tourney. “Being there teaches you those kind of things.”
Another factor is that he seems to have found on-ice chemistry with 17-year-old rookie Alex Kannok Leipert, his usual defence partner. Both are right-handed shots, so Barberis plays the left side — but he maintains he’s comfortable there. Both blueliners like to jump into the play, but they seem to know when one of them has to play it safe.
It’s certainly all part of an intriguing start to the season for Barberis.
“He’s confident and he’s consistent in his play right now, and I think that’s the biggest thing right now,” said Ronning. “He’s producing and he’s making smart, quick plays on the ice. That’s what we need.”